Transcript
0:00 Little babies when they come into the world, you can water them and clothe them and feed them and shelter them, but if you do not love on them, if they don't feel that connection, they will develop failure to thrive and they will die. As a brand new child psychologist, one of my earliest cases was a little boy, 24 months old, born to a mother struggling with addiction, had to detox in hospital on his own with no appointed caregiver for 7 weeks, then went into foster home after foster home. cuz you can imagine that's a pretty rough start for a little one. They're going to have a lot to say about that. And so those parents get tired quickly. And by the time I met him at 24 months of age, he weighed 14 lbs and was losing weight.
0:40 And what he didn't need was a feeding intervention. What he did need was a love intervention. He just needed to know that people were going to show up for him and when they showed up for him that they were going to stay and keep showing up for him. And so the intervention was about relationship because we are a social species. We are designed to be in contact and closeness in relationship. That child, by the way, went on to thrive.
Summary
- Emotional connection is essential for a child's survival and development.
- A case study of a boy born to a mother with addiction shows the impact of neglect.
- The child was hospitalized for detox without a caregiver and moved through multiple foster homes.
- At 24 months, he weighed only 14 lbs and was losing weight due to lack of love, not food.
- The intervention focused on building relationships rather than just addressing feeding issues.
- Children thrive when they feel secure and know that caregivers will consistently show up for them.
- Humans are inherently social beings, designed for connection and closeness.
- The boy eventually thrived, demonstrating the power of love and emotional support.